Nature as a Bridge to Yourself

“The nature is my God”, says a member of the Armenian Geographic club Gevorg Haroyan. He was also among those who did a two-day hiking trip to Tsakkar Lake (Tsaghkari), which is located on the slopes of the Zangezur mountain range.

Even in July there are still pieces of ice in Tsakkar Lake. The weather is warm, but the water in the lake is icy cold. Armenian Geographic organized a two-day camping trip to the Zangezur mountain range. After spending the night in tents hikers headed to Tsakkar Lake.

Tsakkar Lake

It has been already 5 years that Gevorg is leading a hiking lifestyle. He says that this was his second time in Tsakkar Lake and he is ready to go there for the third time, as he loves that lake very much.

“You walk and walk and suddenly the magic appears in front of you. The one who reaches the top screams. And those who haven’t got there yet are getting curious of what’s going on there on the top. And then they reach the top and scream in the same way when they see that wonderful view in front of them. On the one hand the weather is warm and your blood boils in the veins, on the other hand the water is so cold that at first you damn yourself for getting into the water. But then, when you get out of it your muscles warm up again and you feel satisfied that you did it. There are pieces of ice inside the water and the view is glorious”, said Gevorg.

Since the lake is located on the border of two conflicting countries, Gevorg draws parallels between his feelings and body sensations. He says that seeing that view you can have a desire to scream, but you need to be careful as it’s risky. “Tsakkar is on the border, and just as the water is both pleasant and cold, my feelings were also contradictory, as I kept thinking about not being noisy”.

The hiker finds it impressive that they didn’t plan where they were going to set up their tents beforehand, but at the end they chose a perfect place for it. “There was the beautiful moon, a campfire and lovely people. That was very cool”.

Tsakkar Lake

Man and Nature

Gevorg feels a strong connection with nature. He says that he feels that connection since childhood. “There are people who say that they don’t like music, kids or nature. For me it’s not normal. Quite late, but I realized that my God is the nature.  I don’t mean nature only by its first definition but also the nature of people. In every hiking trip you meet new people, new relationships and new perspectives. Knowing people is a completely different world. I am very interested in both nature and people. I think the human being can be the hail, the Sun and the rain in different periods of time and I love that. Armenia is a place of endless discoveries, and Meghri is especially unique for me. I like long walks, because when the trail is short, you don’t have enough “me-time. But when the trail is long, you have an opportunity to constantly think and enjoy everything around you”.

Gevorg thinks that many skills are developing during hikes, but for him the greatest gifts are his friends. “My life is already strongly connected with them. In these hiking trips I found my best friends”.

The hiker is sure that a person changes in nature, becomes better and kinder. “It may happen that you don’t like someone in the city, but then in nature you see how caring that person is towards others and you change your opinion. I think in nature people are able to express themselves better”.

Mountains are Talking

What are you looking for in the mountains? This question made Gevorg think for a moment. Then he said. “I think mountains are the most speaking objects in the world. In nature, all sounds are natural. There is no city noise, no music from restaurants, no mixed sounds. During hiking trips, it seems like you become one with nature. It seems like you are the wind, the view, everything. It feels like you swallow the nature with your eyes and ears. I think that if you find the answer to that question, it won’t be interesting anymore. I’m not looking for a specific answer. For example, when I do sports, I don’t do it in order to live longer, because I may die in an hour. I just do it because I like it. I think it’s the same here. There is no answer to that question”.

Under the moonlight, hikers set up their tents and lit a campfire. The sounds of Gevorg’s guitar performing a song by Mher Bekchyan connected all the gathered people with each other and with nature: “Where are you, where are you? Appear on this peaceful night…”

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Hiking trips in Armenia